Wakefield round up by Paul Concannon Dec 4th 2006

Leeds prospect Danny Reynolds maintained his unbeaten record on Sunday afternoon with a convincing victory over fellow prospect Prince Arron from Manchester. It had also been Reynolds first stab at the 6 x 3's distance and he negotiated that task with relative ease against a competent and tricky opponent. Southpaw Reynolds, who weighed in at 11 stones 4 lbs. wasted little time in getting down to business, closing the distance instantaneously against the gangly but solidly built Manchester fighter. Two left crosses went in, one to the body, another to the head, and were quickly followed up by a series of combinations. Arron picked up a warning for holding shortly afterwards and seconds later was bundled to the floor. The referee correctly ruled no knockdown, and Arron, who weighed 11 stones 6 lbs. landed a crisp right hand to the advancing Reynolds just seconds later. Reynolds was doing a good job of closing the distance, though Arron did manage to find room for his jab and some nice combinations late in the round to even up a close opener. Reynolds began the second aggressively, working Arron against the ropes. With his back to the ropes, the Mancunian opened up with a combination. As the two gamely battled it out, Reynolds struck with a big left, sending Arron to the canvas for a seven count, to the roaring approval of the of 200 Leeds' fans that had made the short hop up the Motorway to support Reynolds. Disorganised, but not badly hurt, Arron bravely struck back with a whipping uppercut upon the resumption but seconds later was bundled to the floor – again the referee ruled no knockdown. This would be the second in some half a dozen or so no knockdown spills that the visitor would take during the course of the fight, and depending on which corner you listened too, it was either a matter of Arron stealing a breather, or over-enthusiastic aggression from Reynolds – the truth appeared to be a combination of both things, Danny is an aggressive box-fighter who attacks with vigour, and from Arron's part he may have taken the opportunity to steal a few seconds as the Leeds man jostled away inside, either way there appeared to be little in Reynolds intentions than to do anything but get inside and work. The Manchester man landed a left hook, right hand spurring on another quick attack from the Leeds fighter, with Arron slotting in neat counters as they punched it out until the bell. Arron made a great start to the third, attacking with a combination, and countering well off the ropes as Reynolds marched forward; he kept his boxing together well in the face of constant forward motion from the Leeds fighter. Reynolds came back towards the end of the round, seemingly hurting Arron with a body shot and pressing forward to the bell in another competitive round. Reynolds patiently stalked through the next couple of rounds, picking his shots, not wasting too many punches as he gradually chipped away. Arron's cause was further hampered when he was deducted a point for holding in the fifth, meaning, on my card, he was going to have too make something very special happen coming out for the final round. That never appeared likely, with Arron being far more boxer than puncher and Reynolds known to take a very good shot. Reynolds was the busier man throughout most of the sixth, whipping in his big left hand whenever he got close. Arron bravely punched back through all 3 minutes but it was Reynolds that finished the round on top with a stiff left to the body. Referee Keith Garner, who officiated throughout, scored the bout 59-55 in favour of the home fighter, who showed patience and control in passing a good test against a talented opponent. Veteran Darren Rhodes was another Leeds fighter on the bill, fighting at a heavy 12 stone 4 lbs. against Barnsley's Rob Burton, who weighed a podgy 12 stones and 10 lbs. Burton came in presumably as a late replacement for Dean Walker who had been originally scheduled to take on Rhodes. The bout proved to be an interesting affair, and served as a reminder of just how classy and accurate a fighter Rhodes can be. He worked the perimeter of the ring throughout, slamming in combinations while Burton turned in one of his more durable and gamer performances, staying close to Rhodes and landing with lefts and rights in between absorbing the Leeds' mans scorching combinations to body and head. Neither fighter was down, but Rhodes hurt the Barnsley man with a cracking right in round three, and seemed on the verge of a stoppage win as he banged in a series of combinations, Burton, as he would do throughout, hit back in time and emerged with great credit for soaking it all up and coming back for more – for his part, Rhodes got a decent workout and looked sharp and fresh after an IBF Inter-con points defeat in Hungary last time out. It wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him back in contention for some sort of title before too long. Other Results: Eugene Heagney W PTS 6 Neil Read Huddersfield's well-supported super-bantam Heagney moves to 3-0 with an efficient performance against Bilston journeyman Read. Pressing forward throughout, Heagney fights at a steady clip to keep his game opponent under pressure through all six. Referee's scorecard reads 60-54 to the Heagney. Robert Nelson W PTS 4 Robert Bunford Bradford's undefeated Nelson is in aggressive and ruthless form against dead-game Welshmen. Nelson is in forward motion throughout, backing up the flighty Bunford with a heavy jab and thumping combinations. Bunford, like Read, shows heart and bottle, and improves considerably from a knockout defeat in his debut. The scorecard reads 40-36. In addition Tony Stones and Marcus Portman boxed a four round exhibition after a late notice withdrawal from Stones' original opponent. Photos: Cliff Manning

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